Bonaparte's, Brent and bits at Crossness

Just before picking Josh up at the tube station this morning, I managed a quick walk around Canada Water where I recorded a high total of 5 singing Reed Warblers. We then headed off east to Crossness where, under clear blue skies, Paul H's adult Dark-bellied Brent was roosting on the other side of the river in Barking Bay.
Walking east along the Thames path, and despite negative news yesterday, I was pretty sure that the 1st-summer Bonaparte's Gull would still be about. And indeed it was - quickly found off the incinerator outfall on the falling tide from 8.50am-9.30am. Blimey though, this bad boy had changed its look since Monday having moulted through a nice mottled hood.

Bonaparte's Gull now sporting semi-summer attire

Little and large...

Atmospheric shot - imagine the backdrop of a picturesque and remote rocky coast with a Bonaparte's Gull feeding in the surf. The reality is an outfall in the Thames with floating turds and factories.

So, while getting our fill of the gull and watching a Little Egret drop in too, the Dark-bellied Brent Goose decides to fly in and land on the river before drifting towards Belvedere. The paddocks promised a lot, but delivered nothing bar a single LRP and a happy looking fox slap bang in the middle of the scrapes. Back at the river, there was no sign of the Bonaparte's and Mr Lethbridge and Dom were failing from the other side too. However, they did locate a 1st-summer Grey Plover which was nice, if a little distant.

A quick sweep of the Rotherhithe loop delivered not much at the beach as a couple of goths were pissing the gulls while walking on the Thames foreshore, though I was made up with three pairs of Common Terns on Surrey Water - with birds bizarrely perching on lamp posts within the foliage - and two Sand Martins over the Old Salt Quay pub.

An urban tern